UAE Prime Minister

Mohammed chairs cabinet meeting

UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chaired a meeting of the UAE Cabinet at the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi today.

The meeting was held with the attendance of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Presidential Affairs Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Getting the meeting underway, the cabinet adopted the UAE Federal Government's final accounts for the financial year 2009, having achieved a fiscal surplus of Dh943 million.

The council of ministers discussed a number of submissions from the Federal National Council (FNC), including recommendations regarding policies at the Ministry of Justice and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA). Government policy in the media sector and concerns about the Ministry of Education's strategies concerning English language instruction and UAE schools were also submitted by the FNC and raised for discussion.

Moving on, the cabinet agreed to appoint the board of trustees for the National Human Resources Development and Employment Authority (Tanmia), under the chairmanship of the Minister of Labour, with a membership of representatives from the Emiratisation Authority and educational institutes across the country.

After approving the final accounts of the General Pensions and Social Security Authority for the fiscal year 2009, the cabinet sanctioned the final accounts and balance sheets of the Emirates Real Estate Corporation, the Federal Customs Authority and the Federal National Council for the same year.

During the meeting the, cabinet issued a law amending Federal Law No. 21 of 1995, regulating roads and traffic in the country, followed by a federal resolution amending some provisions of the UAE Civil Procedure Code governed by Federal Law No. 11 of 1992. Amendments to some provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code promulgated by Federal Law No. 35 of 1992 and provisions of Federal Law No. 24 of 2006, regulating consumer protection, as well as maritime law and federal transport amendments were also issued by the cabinet.

The cabinet approved a number of draft conventions signed between the UAE Government and its foreign counterparts, including a military cooperation agreement with Jordan and air transport agreements with Senegal, Georgia and Madagascar. An accord with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to build the Sheikh Zayed International Media Conference Centre was also ratified.

Concluding the meeting, the cabinet approved the appointment of the new UAE Ambassador to Egypt, a non-resident Ambassador to Kenya and a number of appointments to federal ministries and authorities.